The arrival of generative artificial intelligence in the audiovisual creation sector continues to generate debate. Recently, a trailer made entirely with AI tools set social networks ablaze, raising questions about the future of traditional cinema and the new possibilities available for independent creators.
When generative AI is behind the camera
In early July, Phantom X studio co-founder Kavan the Kid posted the trailer for his Untold – The Immortal Blades Saga project on X. The video quickly generated a huge response, reaching several hundred thousand views in just a few days. The conceptual teaser, conceived with the help of tools such as Luma Dream Machine, Runway Gen-3 and Midjourney, features a universe blending fantasy and science fiction, where legendary swords bestow immortality and superhuman powers.
Kavan the Kid didn’t stop at just posting on social networks: he also shares his creations on his YouTube channel, where you’ll find other AI-generated short films and trailers. The aesthetics of Untold – The Immortal Blades Saga are strongly reminiscent of major works in the genre, such as Dune and Star Wars, whether in terms of art direction, visual ambience or characterization.
This trailer largely replicates the visual and narrative codes of these major licenses. Aesthetic elements and settings immediately evoke these popular universes, while the “direction” shows a blatant absence of originality. What’s more, each shot struggles to exceed 10 seconds, showing the limitations of the generation. This approach also raises the question of AI’s ability to come up with truly new or inspired creations.
The limitations of generative artificial intelligence
The model used was clearly trained on copyrighted works. As Disney is a stickler for protecting its licenses, it’s hard to imagine such a project coming to fruition and being commercialized. Here, the line between inspiration and counterfeiting is quite blurred.
Furthermore, the artistic limitations of these productions are obvious. The aesthetics of the images, often very smooth, betray a strong influence from recent science fiction works, and some of the generated characters are reminiscent of well-known actors. While AI can indeed be a good tool to aid creation, in the case of Untold – The Immortal Blades Saga, it’s just a series of generated videos that don’t add much to the medium.
Can an AI-generated work be registered?
From a legal point of view, a work generated solely by an AI cannot, under current French and American law, benefit from copyright protection. This protection is only granted to creations bearing the mark of significant human intervention: the author must be able to prove their creative choices and involvement in the process.
Another major issue concerns the use of existing works to train AIs. Legal action is emerging against unauthorized use of protected content, exposing the creators of AI-generated films to the risk of prosecution for counterfeiting or copyright infringement. The situation is therefore still very unclear and unregulated for the time being.
Many artists are now finding themselves in difficulty due to the rise of generative AI. Their work is being used to train models, without their consent or any financial compensation. This situation gives rise to a feeling of injustice and frustration in the creative world, where the recognition and remuneration of human work are becoming increasingly important issues. Hayao Miyazaki, the multi-award-winning Japanese animator and director, even called this technology “an insult to life itself”.
The “AI Slop” phenomenon is on the rise
This massive use of existing works by AI contributes to the emergence of the phenomenon known as “AI Slop”. This term describes AI-generated productions that recycle popular visual and narrative codes without any real invention or artistic added value. Many Internet users and creators see these as works with no identity of their own, simply a mixture of inspirations taken from the web.
This phenomenon raises the question of AI’s ability to go beyond mere mimicry to offer genuine creativity. For the time being, these productions are struggling to convince those who expect original ideas or a genuine artistic approach from cinema, reinforcing the concerns already expressed about the place of people in creation. A platform like Pinterest, widely used to find inspiration, is already suffering from this phenomenon as it has become completely polluted by AI-generated images.
Kavan the Kid’s experiment with Untold – The Immortal Blades Saga illustrates both the potential and the gray areas of generative AI applied to cinema. While the technology promises to open up creation to a wider audience, it also raises legitimate questions about originality, intellectual property and the place of human artists in this new landscape.
